Shen Xihe's words, which did not seem to be a jest, frightened several noble ladies until their faces turned as pale as ghosts. They were all of marriageable age, no longer ignorant young girls. They clearly understood that even if Shen Xihe truly drowned the person in the water, the Northwest King would have a thousand ways to force the victim's family to relent.
"County Princess, it was our fault for speaking recklessly and offending you. We are willing to accept your punishment, but please spare Yingrao's life," a taller lady pleaded, kneeling abruptly before Shen Xihe to beg for Hu Yingrao in the water.
Shen Xihe glanced at her, then noticed Noble Consort Rong approaching swiftly with the others. Turning her gaze, she saw Hu Yingrao's struggles weakening and tossed the bamboo pole in her hand: "Biyu."
Biyu leaped into action, stepping lightly on the railing and darting like a swallow, she swiftly hauled Hu Yingrao out and threw her before Shen Xihe.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Hu Yingrao coughed violently while gasping for fresh air.
"What is going on here?" Noble Consort Rong and the others arrived. As the host of the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, Noble Consort Rong scrutinized the two drenched ladies.
Those who had followed Hu Yingrao stammered, unsure how to explain, while Shen Xihe stood aloof, as if detached from the matter.
"A'rao!" Hu Yingrao's mother, Madame Liu, rushed forward and clutched her seemingly half-dead daughter in her arms. Kneeling before Noble Consort Rong, she pleaded, "Your Highness, you must uphold justice for me. A'rao has been afraid of water since childhood—this was meant to kill her."
Madame Liu had already learned the details from the maid who came to report. Shen Xihe's arrogance filled her with hatred, but she also knew she was in no position to challenge Zhaoning County Princess, the beloved daughter of the Northwest King.
"First, have the Imperial Physicians examine the two ladies who fell into the water. Young ladies are delicate; we must ensure they don't suffer lasting harm," Noble Consort Rong said. Having heard some of the story, she dared not take responsibility and had already sent for the Emperor.
The group moved to the outer hall. After the Imperial Physicians examined them and prescribed warming tonics to dispel the cold, the Youning Emperor arrived with several princes.
The Youning Emperor had also come to Hibiscus Garden today, accompanied by the princes and ministers. Since this was meant to appease and show goodwill, it couldn't be limited to the inner court.
"Zhaoning, what happened?" the Youning Emperor asked Shen Xihe directly upon arrival.
"Your Majesty, today I had a minor disagreement with the ladies of the Chen and Wang families, so I left alone to find a quiet place to clear my mind," Shen Xihe spoke unhurriedly. "The seventh daughter of the Xue family, seeing me alone, feared I might be lonely and came to find me. I wished to be by myself, so I declined her kind offer."
"Unexpectedly, after I finished calming myself and returned, I witnessed the Hu family lady intentionally pushing the seventh Xue daughter into the lake. She even said..."
Shen Xihe deliberately paused here, her beautiful eyes sweeping over several ministers, including Vice Minister of Rites Hu Zhengyang, Minister of Personnel Xue Hui, and others.
"...that noble families are aloof and at odds with the powerful. She claimed that the seventh Xue daughter seeking me out was a disgrace to her family's honor."
The discord between noble families and the powerful was common knowledge and a balancing act the Emperor was pleased to see. However, it could not be spoken of openly—wouldn't that imply court officials belonged to factions and were not united in serving Your Majesty and the people?
Especially the phrase "disgrace to her family's honor," which carried undertones of contempt and humiliation toward the powerful.
Sure enough, as soon as Shen Xihe spoke these words, the faces of the nobles present turned displeased."Zhaoning was so incensed that she merely gave her a minor lesson using the same method she had bullied Seventh Lady Xue." After speaking, Shen Xihe turned to the Youning Emperor. "Your Majesty, the Chen family's young lady repeatedly referred to the Northwest as barbarian territory. When I debated with her, the Wang family's young lady accused me of elevating the Northwest to provoke the court officials. The Hu family's young lady also claimed associating with me would disgrace her family's reputation."
After methodically listing everyone's offenses, Shen Xihe continued: "One person's words might be prejudice, but when so many speak this way, Zhaoning deeply wishes to know exactly who looks down upon Northwesterners, enabling them to act so brazenly? It makes Zhaoning mistakenly believe that neither she nor Northwesterners are Your Majesty's subjects, but rather foreign tribes being excluded and despised."
Shen Xihe's insinuations made all present ministers secretly gasp in shock.
She truly dared to speak—even daring to implicitly criticize His Majesty!
The princes who had never interacted with Shen Xihe couldn't help but look at her, with only Xiao Changying restraining himself from laughing aloud.
He had always known that no one would ever be treated with deference in her eyes.
Yet she always presented reasoned arguments through veiled language everyone understood, while leaving no room for criticism.
"Your Majesty." The first to step forward wasn't from the four families Shen Xihe had named, but her maternal grandfather, Censor Tao. As he emerged, the heads of all four families felt their eyelids twitch simultaneously. "For women to discuss court affairs indicates failure in husbandly and paternal instruction. How can one govern the realm without order at home? Children's words and actions reflect parental teaching."
"How could mere young ladies spread discord among court officials without hearing misguided words? 'Barbarian' refers to the Turks. For the Chen family's young lady to call the Northwest barbarian reveals separatist intentions—this is treasonous!"
The nearly sixty-year-old Tao Zhuanxian knelt upright before the Youning Emperor: "I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate and not tolerate such villains who disregard the court, their sovereign, and the people."
Shen Xihe inwardly applauded her grandfather. She had long known her maternal relative both doted on her and possessed sharp rhetoric.
Over the years, the Censorate under him had become as feared as the Embroidered Uniform Envoys.
Hu Zhengyang's forehead beaded with cold sweat as he hurried forward to kneel beside Tao Zhuanxian: "Your Majesty, I swear absolute loyalty. I accept punishment for failing to educate my daughter. Heaven bears witness—my devotion to serving Your Majesty is evident. My foolish daughter's reckless words were never taught by me."
"Your Majesty, I likewise don't know where my unfilial daughter heard such absurd statements. I failed to educate her properly and accept punishment." Xuanping Marquis Chen Zhong promptly knelt to confess his fault.
Finally, Wang Zheng, one of the Three Grand Councillors, leisurely stepped forward. Unlike the kneeling Chen Zhong and Hu Zhengyang, Wang Zheng bowed to the Youning Emperor: "Your Majesty, the Wang family's young ladies know nothing of governance. I raised them too ignorantly, hence their improper speech. I beg for Your Majesty's punishment."
Compared to Chen Jiaxu and Hu Yingrao, Wang Yuhui had indeed made a mountain out of a molehill without directly insulting the Northwest or Shen Xihe.
As an established noble family, the Wangs' ability to produce one of the Three Grand Councillors demonstrated that family head Wang Zheng's cunning and methods were far from ordinary."Lord Wang." Shen Xihe turned to Wang Zheng. "Zhaoning has heard that one of the family precepts of noble houses is to be reserved in speech but diligent in action. The reason noble daughters are praised is precisely because they strictly adhere to the norms of scholarly families. Since the Wang young lady lacks understanding, she ought to maintain humility. The mistake she committed cannot simply be erased by Your Lordship's remark about 'improper speech.'
What she violated were the family rules of scholarly clans, what she tarnished was the dignity of noble houses, and what she damaged was the pristine reputation of esteemed families!"
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